I've started buying 0mg juice from local shops and adding my own nic (Liquid Barn 100mg, PG base) to get juice under 3mg/ml. It's been great to me so far, however the last batch of juice I added nic to is really harsh; it hits and tastes like 6mg/ml. I checked my math twice when adding and I know it should be 2mg/ml.
Does the nic get stronger as it ages?
I store it in the freezer. I haven't been shaking the bottle before adding to juice, does the nic separate from the PG? I'm trying to figure out why this juice is so much harsher.
Definitely always shake your nic before adding it. Is it a recipe you‘ve mixed before (some concentrates are harsh, some need steeping)? Does your nicotine smell off or is it very dark? I don’t find that it gets stronger with time (don’t think that’s even possible), but it does get harsher as it ages, imho.
Curious, what happens if you don't always shake the nicotine up before using it? Or, what I'm more interested in... if you don't shake, then you use a syringe and get some of what's on top, would you be getting more concentrated nicotine, or would it have settled at the bottom and you'd be getting less nicotine?
Also, what if the nicotine does smell a little off and is pretty dark? Does that just affect taste, or is there more to it than that?
Asking for a friend 🙂
Probably sepereted always give it a firm shake before mixing.
If I've not shaken the bottle, ever, and have used 30% of it thus far, should I just buy a new bottle?
It could be starting to oxidize also... that makes it more harsh.. supposedly in pg it doesnt seperate which is a benefit of pg nic.. if a plastic bottle with a lot in it the oxygen will leech through plastic which is why they say amber bottles filled. When it starts to oxidize it is not changing color yet.. it could be the juice.. if I have any kind of menthol or cooling i need a lot less nic
That's what I'd assume, too. Nic can form "hot spots" if VG based, but doesn't really separate, in PG shaking is barely necessary.
Oxidation can add a lot of harshness, but is usually visible (color changes to light yellow/amber, later to brown until it's dark brown) and the smell changes (to unpleasant, slightly fishy, later really fishy), too. Doesn't happen unnoticed.
Are you refrigerating or freezing it? It's really hard for PG nic to separate but it can happen. You should definitely shake it each time but they (whoever you bought it from) would have given it a hot bath and shaken it plenty before they bottled it (considering 100mg is only 10% pure diluted down with 90% PG).
What nicotine will do, over time, is get harsher if it's not refrigerated. This will end up tasting more peppery than acting like higher strength nic (and if you vape 2 and got 6+ you'd probably get Nic sick fairly quickly, to a small degree.
Funny thing is i have a 70/30 BASE from LB in my fridge and some 100 mg/mL nic salt in PG in there and no matter what they always taste harsh to me. I even have a bit in a squonk refill bottle at room temperature since i don't have lab equipment. No matter how i mix it always tastes harsh and from what i can tell it hasn't oxidized either. The LB stuff is hash anyways from what most people have told me....
Bring your bottle to room temperature. Shake it up thoroughly to avoid hot spots. It's best to separate it into smaller workable bottles. That way you limit oxygen exposure. 30ml or 60ml bottles depending on how often you mix. When your room temp supply gets low, pull out the next bottle and it'll be room temp when your ready to mix again.
I think yur two main possibilities are: the nicotine has oxidized, or you have not shaken your nicotine solution. Nicotine suspended in PG can settle in strange ways....it does not just all settle to the bottom or top, it can have "strong spots" (often called hot spots by mixers) if not well shaken before use. Personally, for this reason, I always buy my nic in PG for this reason, even though all my diy juices are max VG. The only PG I ever add is what is in the nicotine and the flavorings. Also, nicotine in PG oxidizes more slowly. If oxidation is your problem, you should notice a color and/or smell change from when it was fresh. I always buy "Smooth Hit" nicotine salts from Nude Nicotine (riversupplyco.com also has them) because I hate the harsh throat hit from nicotine.